Composite laminated lacrosse stick



B. N. FRISCH COMPOSITE LAMINATED LACROSSE STICK May 13, 1952 2SI-IEETS-Sl-lEF-T 1 Filed May 4, 1948 INVENTOR. BENJAMIN I N. FR/SGH May13, 1952 B. N. FRISCH COMPOSITE LAMINATED LACROSSE STICK 2 SHEETS-.SHEET2 Filed May 4, 1948 FIG IO FIG. /4

INVENTOR.

Patented May 13, 1952 FFICE COMPOSITE LAMINATED LACROSSE STICK BenjaminN.v Fris'ch, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Gaylord R. Auer, Towson, Md.

Application May 4, 1948, Serial No. 24,969

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to the manufacture of lacrosse sticks andparticularly to the process wherein the lacrosse stick iscomposed,'either in whole or in part, of thin layers of wood or othersuitable material, henceforth to be termed laminates, thus presenting abonded assembly that may be readily bent or worked to varying lengths,weight and balance.

The means heretofore used in the manufacture of lacrosse sticks haveproved to be both costly and ineflicient, in regards to material andlabor required, as well as the results obtained in the finished product.Since the wood used in this process must be of a type being of longfibre species, amenable to steaming and bending, precise care must beexercised in the selection of said material. The fact that this woodtype is not found in sufficient quantity, within the continental bordersof the United States, has forced the manufacturer to make hisprocurements abroad, thus incurring additional expense. Further, thelength of the handle of the conventional stick is limited to theextremities established by the material used. Thus it may be shortened,to suit the individual players preference, but the player desiring ahandle longer than that found on the aforesaid stick must remaindissatisfied.

Another disadvantage of the aforementioned means of production concernsthe procedure of bending said sticks to conform to the outline definedby the regulations governing the game and its subsequent equipment.After the Wood rail has been carved or worked to the desired linealcontours, it is then subjected to steam, thus creating a state suitablefor bending and shaping of the crosse or head. The bending must beperformed by hand, with the final results depending upon the skill ofthe craftsman. In the bending process, many stresses are set up in thematerial structure, often causing the wood to crack and render theentire piece unusable. The high bending stresses that have been lock-inin the affected areas will tend to weaken the structure at these pointsand thus cause the crosses to crack when subjected to the rugged useencountered in the game.

A further disadvantage concerning the formation of the head, hereafterto be called the crosse, is that the dimension between the inside wallof the frame and the inside wall of the bent end of the crosse should beof a value conforming to that prescribed in the rules of the game. Themaintaining of this dimension has been found to be an utterimpossibility, in actual practice, due to the natural differences in thefibre composition of the wood as well as the existence of human error onthe part of the person performing this operation. Consequently, theweaving of the net and gut wall, which is attached to the frame andcrosse, must be forestalled until the completion of the sticks, so thatthe aforementioned dimension of the crosse may be checked. The net andgut wall is then woven to this specification with the resultant of timeand greater economy that would be attained through the mass productionof said nets, either prior to or at the time of the formation of thesticks.

The present invention therefore contemplates the use of a wood morecommon to this country, thereby eliminating the need for importing ofthe same and the subsequent costs. By the use of a laminated stick, itis possible to obtain better balance and weight features, because thecross sectional areas at various points may be more readily controlled.The completed stick has a handle of sufficient length to satisfy themost extreme lineal desire, without causing additional manufacturingproblems or materially afiecting the cost.

The invention further contemplates the introduction of a means for themore economical manufacture of lacrosse sticks by the using of differentgrades of wood, or other suitable material, in the laminae composing thestick. This is accomplished by using laminae of lesser grade on theinner portion of the frame and crosse and using a laminae of betterquality on the outer side of the said frame and crosse. By means of thiscombination, material cost is held to a minimum, without sacrificingstrength at the points of greater stress. The individual lamina may bedyed different colors, thus producing a finished product of highlydecorative proportions. Through the proper selection of laminae forgrain direction and through the careful arrangement of the succeedinglamina to obtain a crossed grain, the opportunity of splitting along agrain line is eliminated.

The invention further contemplates to provide a means for the bendingand formation of the crosse and at the same time guarantees a constantdimension for the distance between the inner frame wall and the bent endof the crosse. In the process of bending, the radius or degree of bendmay be executed to predetermined amount without setting up high bendingstresses, since each successive lamina takes a portion of the totalstress. The fact that a bend may be so regulated, insures a constantcrosse length, thereby" enabling the manufacturer to have the net andgut wall put into mass production immediately. Having this crossedimension become a standard, makes the net and gut wall interchangeable.Prior to this net, if the original stick was unserviceable it wasdiscarded if another stick of the same crosse dimension could not bepurchased.

The invention further contemplates to provide a stick of an adhesivebonded assembly of laminates constructed, either as a complete unit,comprising the crosse, frame and handle, or it consists of a laminatedcrosse and frame suitably joined to a conventional handle.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the descriptionwhich follows, and from the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a frontelevation of a lacrosse stick having a laminated frame and solid handle;

Figure 2 is a left side elevation of the lacrosse stick shown in Figure1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the encircled area 3 inFigure 1;

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure3;

Figure 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 3,having laminae of the outer portion partially exposed;

Figure 7 is a front elevation of a lacrosse stick of entirely laminatedconstruction;

Figure 8 is a partial front elevation of a lacrosse stick having twosides forming the net enclosure;

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the encircled area 9 inFigure 1;

Figure 10 is a transverse section taken on the line III- -I 0 of Figure9;

Figure 11 is an end elevation of the crosse, taken on the line IIII ofFigure 9;

Figure 12'is an enlarged fragmentary view of the handle junction shownin the encircled area I2 of Figure 1;

Figure 13 is a transverse section taken on the line I3-I3 of Figure 12;and

Figure 14 is a transverse section taken on the line I4. I 4 of Figure 7.

In the practical embodiment of the invention shownby way of example, thestick I is composed of a laminated head or crosse 2, a lamicompletion ofthe preliminary forming operations, the crosse is then bent to aspecified size and contour. This is accomplished by a conventionalsteaming process and as previously mentioned, the setting up of highbending stresses is considerably lessened, since each successive laminatakes a portion of the total stress. Following the bending procedure,the stick is then worked to its final shape, as depicted by the crosssections shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, then weighed and tested forbalance.

The junction of the laminated frame 3 and the solid handle 4, of thestick I illustrated in Figure l, is shown in larger detail in Figure 12,

wherein the method used is the conventional fish mouth joint, which bythe contouring of one element into the other and the subsequent treatingof the same with an adhesive substance, will result in a joint of equalor greater strength than the solid material of the stick.

The modified form of the lacrosse stick 1, shown in Figure '7, is of anentirely laminated construction, comprising a crosse 8, a frame 9, and ahandle I0, and holes II, suitably spaced, about the crosse and frame,for the convenient attachment of the net and gut-wall.

Figure 8 shows a further modified form embodying an upper portion of alacrosse stick, having a crosse I2, frames I3 and I4, forming a unionI5, with the partially shown handle I6. As in previous forms shown,holes ll, of suitable diameter and spacing have been drilled in thecrosse and frames, to facilitate the attachment of thenet and gut-wall.The additional frame, in lieu of the normally open side, greatly adds tothe overall strength of the stick, protecting further against crackingwhile in use. The frames I3 and I4, in conjunction with th crosse I2,are composed of laminated section, shaped and then bent, by means of thesteaming process, to conform to the outline shown in Figure 8. The unionI5, wherein the frames I3 and I4 are bonded to the handle I6, is of theconventional predescribed fish mouth type. The handle I6, of this form,may be either of laminated construction, or of a solid wood rail.

Figs. 3 and 9, show enlarged fragmentary views of the extremities of thecrosse 2. In Figure 3, the arc connecting the frame 3 and the crosse 2is shown, as well as the characteristics of the general contouringinvolved. Figure 9, shows the opposite end of the crosse 2 and itssubsequent contour characteristics. The area defined within the dot-dashoutline I8, may be either laminated or of a solid material, dependingupon prevailing conditions of manufacture, or at the discretion of theuser. In using a solid material, within this area, it is first fashionedto the desired shape and adhesively applied to the existing laminatedcrosse 2.

It will be readily seen that by this means of lacrosse stickconstruction, an appreciable degree of economy, of materials and labor,is attained, due to the fact of the introduction of varying grades ofmaterial composition, reduction of the risk of splitting, of said stick,during the bending, in addition to the standardization of the insidecrosse dimension.

It will also be seen that the provision of a handle of superflous lengthwill meet the requirements of the most extreme choice on the part of theuser, without creating difficulties or added cost in manufacture;

In summation, it will therefore be seen that the introduction of massproduction, of the net and gut-wall assembly, a heretofore impossibilitydue to variations of the crosse length, will entail an enormous savingin the'productior'f time of the entire unit, as well as representing asatisfactory reduction in the cost to the consumer.

While I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of myinvention, I do not wish to be understood as limitingmyself thereto, butintend to claim the invention as broadly as may be permitted by thestate of theprior art and the scope of the appended claim. 7 7 V r j Alacrosse stick comprising a handle of solid material, a frame oflaminated material joined to said handle, the top horizontal portion ofsaid frame twisted at right angles to the side portion of said frame toform an extending arm, the free end of said arm bent at a-right anglethereof, whereby said twisted laminations provide a durable structure.

BENJAMIN N. FRISCH.

REFERENCES CITED Number Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date MalingsApr. 12, 1892 Burrows Jan. 29, 1895 Hillerich Oct. 15, 1935 EverndenDec. 10, 1935 Auer Apr. 28, 1936 Nash July 7, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTSCountry Date Great Britain 1910

